Swinging Baby Bonobo – Manuela Kulpa – Featured Photographer

This definitely brought a smile to my face when I first opened it. Whether in childhood or “apehood” innocence is bliss. Manuela has captured the chimpanzee’s vegetarian cousin in a perfect light. Please view Manuela’s blog to see her unique style on capturing wildlife http://www.erblicken.com

It was a very touching moment when I saw on the face of the little bonobo neither a grimace nor bared teeth or another sign of tension. It was just pure kindness and warmth – this is it, why great apes appear so human to us.

The IUCN Red List classifies bonobos as an endangered species with conservative population estimates ranging from 29,500 to 50,000 individuals. Major threats to bonobo populations include habitat loss and hunting for bush meat, the latter activity having increased dramatically during the first and second Congo wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to the presence of heavily armed militias even in remote “protected” areas such as Salonga National Park.

Organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, the African Wildlife Foundation, and others are trying to focus attention on the extreme risk to the species.